Dominic Update 4.0 – Brown Eyed Baker

Hi all people! I cannot imagine that we are on the cusp of Labor Day and summer season coming to a close. The past five to 6 months have been a overall blur and this summer time, in unique, has flown by. There’s been hospitals (chemo, stem cell harvest, surgical procedures), clinic appointments, and driving again and forth to New York.

But, 1 foot in front of the other and one day at a time, we are grateful to be heading into a new year with a strong boy and hearts total of hope.

Dominic had a busy very first several weeks of August…

🔍 To start with, he had a new set of scans (MRI + MIBG) plus an additional bone marrow biopsy. The scans nevertheless show disease during his bones but most of the places are “dimmer” than before, and the bone marrow involvement diminished by in excess of 50%.

So, there is continue to function to do, but there is an enhancement. And! Dominic did both equally of the scans without the need of anesthesia (he has been sedated beforehand mainly because you have to lay totally nonetheless and the MIBG is above 2 hrs). He’s a rock star.

🏥 Future, he had his very first spherical of immunotherapy. The antibody he’s given targets the protein of neuroblastoma cells and considering the fact that they typically sit on nerve cells, there is significant nerve suffering accompanying the therapy. The infusion is small (45 minutes) but powerful.

There is a ton of pre-medicine and discomfort management through and soon after, and he would generally slumber the full relaxation of the working day afterward. But, the treatments are outpatient so no hospital stays, and they really don’t impact counts like chemotherapy, so no neutropenia or blood or platelet transfusions.

🦸‍♂️ Then, he crossed off an additional large hurdle… radiation. He did this awake with no anesthesia as well… two times a day for 5 times, he was strapped down utilizing a distinctive mask that was molded to his head and higher system to hold his head and neck in the specific very same place each time (his clavicle was radiated because of to the cluster of diseased lymph nodes that had been there, as properly as the tumor bed in his abdomen). An amazing lady who operates there has the young ones choose what they want their masks to be and then customized paints them… Dominic selected Iron Man. There are some exceptionally particular folks in this entire world.

He could also pick what ever music he required to be piped in every time and selected Christmas audio every working day 💕🌲 He entirely rocked it and the persons functioning there were unquestionably phenomenal.

➡️ Next… we get to be house for a pair of months, then it’s back to NY for one more spherical of immunotherapy, a new set of scans, and one more bone marrow biopsy. 

📘 In the meantime, he started off kindergarten this week! He’ll be joining course pretty much right until his oncologist gives him the go-ahead to go to in individual, which we’re hoping will be late September.

💈 His eyebrows, eyelashes, AND hair have all begun growing back again! He’s experienced a ton of power, has received back again all of the excess weight he misplaced just after surgical treatment and that past spherical of chemo and is normally accomplishing seriously, genuinely nicely.

❤️ Thank you all for your ongoing prayers, it implies so much to our family.